Not sure if this counts as taking one for the team, since the only mentions of Estiatorio Milos from this group have been related to whether really pricey restaurants can survive in the Toronto market. We were curious enough to try it before a performance at the Four Seasons Centre, despite the menu prices.
It’s a impressive space, with a giant main room where the fresh seafood is prominently displayed. The service was friendly and very attentive. There appeared to be several dozen staff, more than the number of diners when we started, although the tables started to fill by the time we left. And the food? Overall, very good, but not really justifying the prices (at least to us). We’ll let you judge.
For drinks, we shared 2 glasses of wine (we didn’t get the years for them). Each glass was in the ballpark of $25, but there were some that were a lot more.
- Ktima Biblia Chora Estate White, Sauvignon Blanc and Assyrtiko blend, Pangeon, Greece - lots of minerality and a good bit of citrus.
- Ktima Gerovassiliou, Malagousia, Epanomi, Greece - very floral and a fuller body.
They first brought some complimentary toasted bread with fragrant olive oil and baby oregano snipped off a potted plant.
We went to the fish display to pick our choice for a crudo. We selected favri (a sea bream). Half came with a lemon and was adorned with sea salt and fresh thyme; the other half came with a lime and was decorated with fresh chili, coriander, and sea salt. It was all beautifully fresh. It was also over $100. When we were finished, they took away the head and spine, lightly deep fried it, and returned it to us to pick over the remaining tasty morsels.
We then had a half-order of the Milos Special, which are very thin slices of deep fried eggplant and zucchini, along with some deep fried saganaki cheese and a small dollop of tzatziki - the frying was excellent, not at all oily; the tzatziki was very mild, with little garlic. The cost of the half order was $22.50.
Well, we had to try the Astakomakaronada, since that’s one of the dishes being mentioned in a number of reviews. It uses a whole lobster and has a delicious tomato-based sauce with onions, garlic, and what seemed to be crunchy bits of fennel. The pasta was perfectly done, but the lobster was a tad overdone, particularly the tail pieces. The dish was market priced in terms of the lobster, which in our case turned out to be just over $200. Admittedly the dish is about double the volume of many pasta dishes at other restaurants, but nonetheless, it does not seem to merit the price.
To finish the meal, we shared a small cheese plate. The selection included kefalograviera (nutty and slightly sharp), manouri (creamy and fresh), and melipasto (harder and quite sharp). They were accompanied by dried apricots, figs, mango slices, walnuts, fresh thyme sprigs, and honey. We also shared a glass of Parparoussis, Mavrodaphne, fortified (with their own spirit) dessert wine, Patras, Greece - like a cross between port and sherry, with dried fruits and some oxidized character.
Total damage before tax and tip was just over $500. I’m sure the location, the quality of the fresh seafood, and the number of staff are part of the reason for such prices. But for similar prices, we could have more interesting meals elsewhere.
